Cooperative proliferation

The redevelopment at Walton Street and Little Clarendon Street is going to include in two of the Walton Street units a new supermarket. Not, as some had feared, a Tesco but another Coop. Two in the same street? The Coop says “We have traded in Jericho for many years with a busy convenience store. Our intention is to widen the offer to our customers and members and provide additional facilities for local people as well as creating job opportunities for people in the area.” The Walton Street Coop is certainly popular and has very helpful staff. But it is also the most expensive in Oxford. Not only does it charge 20% more for milk and eggs than Tesco or Sainsbury, it is also 5% more expensive on most items than even the Coop in Summertown. In the new store presumably the prices will be equally high. Why are we being charged more? A spokesperson for the Midcounties Co-operative responded: “Our pricing team continually review the prices offered by other retailers so as to provide competitive prices across a range of standard shopping.”